Palaniswamy hints at declaration of Cauvery delta as protected zone, says 'good news' soon

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Wednesday said the government will soon announce good news on the declaration of the Cauvery delta region as a Protected Special Agriculture Zone (PSAZ).

Speaking in the Assembly, Palaniswami said he recently announced the declaration of the Cauvery delta region as PSAZ while laying a foundation stone for the Advanced Institute for Integrated Research on Livestock and Animal Sciences (AIIRLIVAS) in Salem district.

The Chief Minister said that there have been discussions with legal experts on the matter and good news for the farmers would be out soon. He mentioned that there are certain legal issues that have to be sorted out before declaring the Cauvery delta region as PSAZ.

READ | Cauvery Delta Districts Will Be A Protected Farm Zone; No Nod For Oil Projects: TN CM

Eight Cauvery delta districts to be categorized as PSAZ

Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Sunday, February 9 said that eight Cauvery delta districts of Tamil Nadu including the rice bowl, Thanjavur, will be categorized as a special protected agricultural zone and assured that permission will not be given for hydrocarbon projects.

Asserting that steps will be taken to enact a separate law to confer the protected status to the delta districts, he said that only agro-based industries will be encouraged on a need basis in the river Cauvery fed regions.

READ | DMK Accuses CM Palaniswami Of 'deception' Over Giving Cauvery Districts A Protected Tag

The Chief Minister's announcement assumes significance in the wake of continued opposition to projects like those involving hydrocarbon at places, including Neduvasal in Pudukottai district.

On opposition from farmers to oil exploration and extraction projects in the delta region, Palaniswami said he understood the travails of ryots since he himself was a farmer.

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DMK accuses CM Palaniswami of 'deception'

A day after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami announced that Cauvery delta districts will be declared a special protected agricultural zone, DMK accused him of double standards on the issue and demanded that he pass a Cabinet resolution against hydrocarbon projects and cancel ongoing initiatives.

On the one hand, the government extended cooperation for hydrocarbon projects and on the other announced a protection tag to delta districts, which only showed the 'double standards' of the Chief Minister, senior Dravidian party leader K N Nehru alleged.

READ | Tamil Nadu CM Edapaddi Palaniswami Dispels Fears About CAA; Asks DMK 'Who Was Affected?'